Civil Society – Page 7

October 7, 2013

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Civil Society

Event: Does the #CyrusCylinder Still Speak to Us Today

On October 10, 2013 Hirad Abtahi, first legal adviser of the Presidency of the International Criminal Court, will be speaking to The World Affairs Council of Orange County as part of the panel discussion "Light from the Ancient Past: Does the Cyrus Cylinder Still Speak to Us Today?". Abtahi is author of the book ‘’Reflections on the Ambiguous Universality of Human Rights: Cyrus the Great’s Proclamation as a Challenge to the Athenian Democracy Perceived Monopoly on Human Rights" published by Arseh Sevom and distributed by Pegah Distribution.

September 30, 2013

September 30, 2013

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#Iran — Is Rouhani The One

Arseh Sevom—Could Hassan Rouhani be The One? Since Rouhani’s inauguration, a number of prisoners of conscience have been released, a more than thirty year freeze in relations between the US and Iran defrosting, and hopes raised. Some of the sanctions have been eased and tons of medications are being cleared through customs. After his return from the US, Rouhani faced both support and opposition at the airport and at least one shoe was thrown in anger. The times they are a-changing…maybe. And, in the case of Iran's women's Kata team, who were disqualified for wearing too much hijab, they are not changing soon enough. In the case of Iran's women's Kata team, who were disqualified for wearing too much hijab, they are not changing soon enough.in the case of Iran's women's Kata team, who were disqualified for wearing too much hijab, they are not changing fast enough.

September 18, 2013

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#Iran — The Smell of Change

Arseh Sevom -- As we were getting ready to post this week's review, we heard the good news that Nassrin Sotoudeh and eight other political prisoners had been released from prison. Author Pejman Majidzadeh's nose must really be filled with the smell of change now. In this week's review, he introduces the JUST ACCESS campaign against the unintended effects of economin sanctions. The US Treasury department has issued two new general licenses for humanitarian aid and amateur athletic events. We read of a letter exchange between Obama and Rouhani. Iran's beleagured House of Cinema has now been reopened. The case of the house-imprisoned Green Movement leaders is finally going to court. The Supreme Leader hints at better relations between the US and Iran. Iranians wonder what happened to two billion dollars in oil revenues.

September 9, 2013

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#Iran: Can Word Games Lead to Action and Real Change

Arseh Sevom--While the war in Syria may become an international war soon, Iran and America have been engaged in some pre-diplomatic word games. Will Ta'amol, the Persian word for mutual action, enter the language the way that the Russian word Glasnost (openness) has? A European Court ruling has challenged the inclusion of seven Iranian companies on the sanctions list. Rouhani is looking at tourism (Glasnost?) as a way of growing Iran's feeble economy, and a Singaporean photographer may prove to be the new industry's unofficial spokesperson. Workers in Iran suffer the combined effects of bad policy and economic sanctions. Finally, Iran's foreign minister tweets Rosh Hashana wishes.

September 3, 2013

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Iran — Fearing the Tyrant Not the Change

Arseh Sevom--The final post of a three-part series summarizing the Hivos report, The Green Movement: Seizing the State or Democratizing Society, examines the long struggle for democracy in Iran and the stunted growth of its civil society. Editor Shervin Nekuee states that "The most essential question these citizens have to deal with is whether they are capable of preventing the arrival of yet another tyrant..." Civil Society activist Sohrab Razzaghi says, “The fundamental issue is that the idea of a civil society is not yet considered a social project among Iranian intelligentsia and social forces [...]”

September 2, 2013

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#Iran — I Want My Google Play

Arseh Sevom -- Budget shortfalls have wreaked havoc on the state of Iran's healthcare, which is facing more than one billion euros of debt. Since sanctions were loosened on personal electronics, Iranians can now buy iPhones and Androids. Social Media is not just for opposition anymore as Iran's politicians find their way on to Facebook and Twitter. Membership in the World Trade Association (WTO) is still a distant dream for Iran as is freedom for the leaders of Iran's Green Movement. Somehow, however, Iran has found a way to fulfill the dream of a base on Antarctica.

August 28, 2013

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The Green Movement and Avoiding Violent Opposition

Arseh Sevom--The presence of women in the public demonstrations of the Green Movement before and after Iran's 2009 presidential elections was undeniable. They were on the front lines, in public, advocating for change. Their voices were strong during the nightly chants from Tehran's rooftops. The non-hierarchical structure of the womens' movement and its long history building coalitions among people with different political ideologies was key for the dispersed leadership of the Green Movement. While the women's movement may have contributed to the discourse on non-violence, violence is unavoidable for a resistance movement writes author Ammar Maleki in his contribution. He writes, “Civil resistance avoids violence, but it never escapes it; if that were the case then it would never be resistance.” In this short piece, chapters two and three of the Hivos report, The Green Movement: Seizing the State or Democratizing Society, are summarized. This is part two of a three-part series.

August 26, 2013

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What is the Green Movement Dreaming About?

Arseh Sevom -- In a recent Hivos report examining Iran's Green Movement since the 2009 presidential campaign until now, researchers and activists reflect on different aspects of the movement. This is the first of several posts summarizing the content of the report.

August 20, 2013

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Iran — Sanctions Lock Doors for Civil Society

Arseh Sevom --For many civil society actors in Iran, the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the international community have multiplied the hardships they face from their own antagonistic government. Sometimes it can feel as though all the doors around you find are locked. Over the past couple of weeks, a new sanctions have been imposed by the US congress. A group of political prisoners wrote an open letter to Barak Obama asking for an end to the sanctions. Iranians who want to study certain fields in the US have been met with closed doors due to the most recent round of sanctions. The costs of medications and medical treatments have soared over the past few years in Iran, while the value of the currency has plummeted. In an interesting development, confirmation hearings for President Rouhani's cabinet nominees were broadcast on Iranian state television. Finally, Iran marks sixty years since a coup organized by the CIA and the British ousted Iran's Prime Minister.